This is only to be used as a general guide.
Legislation and road rules are subject to change therefore
you are strongly advised to check your local jurisdiction
for up to date information. All bicycle riding regulations
(helmets, road rules etc.) apply equally to motorised bicycle
riders. This information was updated on 25 April
2014.

QUEENSLAND

Rules for motorised bicycles

There are 2 types of legal motorised bicycle. For the first
type, the electric motor must not be capable of generating
more than 200 watts of power. For the second type, know
as a 'pedalec', the vehicle must comply with the European
Standard for Power Assisted Pedal Cycles (EN15194). The
vehicle must have a permanent marking on it that shows it
complies with the standard. A compliant pedalec can have
up to 250 watts of power. But the motor cuts out at 25km/h
and the pedals must be used to keep the motor operating.
It is illegal to ride a bicycle on roads or road-related
areas (such as paths) if the bicycle has an internal combustion
engine (for example, a petrol or diesel motor) attached.

[ZBox note: The above section is
taken from the QLD GOvernment web site. Legislation, however,
appears to be the same as all other states which alow the
fitting of any motor under 200W. We are not legal experts
so, if fitting a pertol motor to your bike for use on public
roads, we advise you confirm with your legal adviser]

Motorised bicycles are required to adhere to the same road
rules as bicycles and have the same rights and responsibilities.
Motorised bicycles are exempt from registration and compulsory
third party insurance.

A two-wheeled vehicle with an internal combustion engine,
or an electric motor capable of generating over 200 watts,
must comply with the Australian Design Rules* requirements
for a motorbike if it is to be ridden on roads or road-related
areas.

When riding a motorised bicycle you must:

wear an approved bicycle helmet securely fitted and fastened.

The motorised bicycle must have:

a bell or horn
at least 1 effective brake.

When riding at night you must display:

a white light at the front, visible for 200m
a red light at the back, visible for 200m
a red reflector at the back, visible for 50m.

You can ride a motorised bicycle on all roads and paths,
except where bicycles are specifically excluded.

You do not need to have a driver licence to ride a motorised
bicycle.

*The content found by using this link is not created, controlled
or approved by this department. No responsibility is taken
for the consequences of viewing content on this site. This
link will load into a new window.

VICTORIA

Motorised Bicycles and Foot
Scooters

A power assisted bicycle is identical to a pedal powered
bicycle, except it has an auxiliary motor. Power assisted
bicycles have two definitions in Victoria:

A bicycle with an auxiliary motor(s) producing less
than a total of 200 watts at the wheel, and where the
power is additional to using the pedals.
A bicycle with auxiliary power producing no more than
250 watts and specifies this as a continuous rating. It
also restricts the top power assisted speed to 25 kilometres
per hour, requires the rider to pedal to access the power.
This type of motorised bicycle is known as a pedalec.

Auxiliary motor means that the primary propulsion is
via pedalling and the motor is simply to assist.

Power assisted bicycles as described here are likely
to have similar performance characteristics to pedal powered
bicycles so the same road rules apply to them. These types
of power assisted bicycles are not required to be registered
nor the rider required to be licensed.
A motorised bicycle is not classed as a bicycle if:

the motor is the primary source of power

the motor's power output exceeds 200 watts
(whether or not the motor is operating).

Petrol Engines are now banned from use
as pushbike motors even where they meet, or are below,
the power standards required of eletric engines.

There are two types of electric power-assisted
pedal cycles allowed

Maximum power output 200 watts
For power-assisted pedal cycles other than pedalecs
(see below), the auxiliary motor/s must not be capable
of producing a combined maximum power output exceeding
200 watts, whether or not the motor/s is operating.

Note: It is virtually impossible for
a bicycle fitted with an internal combustion motor to
meet this requirement because an internal combustion
motor limited to 200 watts is not capable of producing
enough torque to propel the bicycle. For example, the
cylinder of a petrol motor specifically designed to
produce no more than 200 watts (equal to 0.268 horsepower)
will have a capacity of about four or five cubic centimetres,
the size of a standard medical syringe.

Maximum power output 250 watts (‘pedalec’)
A ‘pedalec’ is a vehicle complying with
the requirements of European Standard EN 15194: 2009
or EN 15194:2009+A1:2009: Cycles – Electrically
power assisted cycles – EPAC Bicycles. To comply
with EN 15194:
The motor must be electric.
The maximum continuous power output of the motor cannot
exceed 250 watts measured at the wheel.
Note: A motor that delivers 250 watts of continuous
power can produce greater power for very short periods
of time, which can be beneficial when pulling away at
traffic lights or starting a hill climb.
The rider must pedal the cycle to activate the motor.
Note: Pedalecs may be equipped with an optional low-speed
start-up mode that allows the motor to power the cycle
up to 6 km/h. This mode is activated by the user either
when riding without pedalling or when the user is pushing
the cycle.
The motor must cut-off once the vehicle reaches 25 km/h,
or sooner if the rider stops pedalling.
The vehicle must be certified by the manufacturer, and
labelled as complying with EN 15194. The label must
include the manufacturer’s name, the motor’s
cut-off speed in km/h and its continuous rated power
in watts.

WEST AUSTRALIA

Power-assisted bicycles

A power-assisted pedal cycle (PAPC) is a bicycle with
a motor providing assistance when the rider is pedalling.
In Western Australia PAPC can be used by people aged 16
years and older on shared paths with the power engaged.
To be compliant, a PAPC can only have a maximum power
output of 200 watts.

A PAPC which uses the engine as the primary source of
power and/or has an engine capacity which exceeds 200
watts is classified as a motorbike and must be registered
and ridden by a licenced rider and cannot be ridden on
shared paths. The smallest petrol engines (i.e. internal
combustion engine) commonly have a power output exceeding
200 watts and are therefore illegal.

[ZBox note: The above phrase is
correct for most bicycle motors purchased through eBay.
ZBox, however, have a 200W petrol motor specifically designed
to comply with Australian motorised bicycle laws. Our
200W motors have been passed by government approved Dyno
test facilities. Every ZBox 200W motor is provided with
a certificate of compliance stating that the motor produces
less than 200W. The cerificate includes the serial number
of the motor and has is signed by an independant engineer
who fitted our restrictor kit]

"motor vehicle" means a vehicle that is built
to be propelled by a motor that forms part of the vehicle
but does not include;

an aircraft, or
a motor vehicle that travels only on a railway, tramway
or other fixed track, or
a pedal cycle with an auxiliary motor (or motors) with
a power output (or combined output) of not more than 200
watts; or
a self-propelled lawn mower that is not capable of traveling
at a speed of more than 10km/h; or
a self-propelled wheelchair that is not capable of traveling
at a speed of more than 10km/h, or
a self-propelled vehicle

(a) not capable of travelling at a speed of more than
10km/h; and
(b) designed for off-road work in construction, maintenance
or warehouse operation; and
(c) only used on a public street for the purpose of loading
or unloading the vehicle onto another vehicle, or manoeuvring
at a work site.

Any scooter with a motor is considered to be a motor
vehicle.

A motor vehicle must be registered if it is parked or
used on a public street or a road related area. A motor
vehicle must not be used on a footpath or shared pathway.

Policy

Any motorised vehicle which is not excluded from the
definition of "motor vehicle" must be registered
if it is used on a public street or a road related area.
To be eligible for registration all vehicles must comply
with relevant Australian Design Rules and the Vehicle
Standards and be fitted with an approved Australian compliance
plate.
Any vehicle which is not fitted with an approved Australian
compliance plate is not eligible for registration, and
must not be used on a public street or road related area.
A pedal cycle with an auxiliary motor (or motors) with
a power output (or combined output) of not more than 200
watts does not require to be registered and may be used
on public streets and on road related areas. The rider
does not need to hold a current drivers licence but must
wear an approved bicycle helmet and obey all Road Rules.

A power assisted bicycle (or power-assisted pedal cycle)
is a pedal cycle with a motor attached to assist the rider.
The attached motor may provide assistance but the pedals
must be the main means of propulsion.

In South Australia, there are two categories of power
assisted bicycles that may be used legally on our roads:

power assisted bicycles with up to 200 Watts of power
(the power is controlled by a throttle or accelerator);
or
power assisted bicycles with no more than 250 Watts of
continuous power which meet the definition of a pedalec
(the power is controlled by the ride using the pedals).

What is a Pedalec?

In order to be a pedalec (legal for use on our roads),
the power assisted bicycle must comply with the European
Committee for Standardization EN 15194:2009 or EN 15194:2009+A1:2011
Cycles - Electrically power assisted cycles - EPAC Bicycle
('EN 15194') and this includes:

it must be certified by the manufacturer and labelled
as complying with EN 15194. The label must have the manufacturer's
name, the motor's cut off speed in km/h and its electric
motor motor maximum continuous rated power in Watts. The
label is often found on the bicycle's frame immediately
adjacent to the crank;
the motor must be electric;
the maximum continuous power output of the motor cannot
exceed 250 Watts;
the rider must pedal to access the power (the motor may
operate without pedalling up to a speed of 6 km/h);
the power must cut out when the pedalec reaches 25 km/h
or sooner (if the operator stops pedalling).

Road rules for power assisted bicycles

Riders do not require a driver's licence, motor vehicle
registration or compulsory third party insurance. Riders
are bound by the same rules as for other bicycles, including
the need for:

the rider to wear a helmet;
effective brakes;
a bell, or other audible warning device;
a rear-facing red reflector at night;
a white light to the front and a red light to the rear
at night (both may flash) clearly visible from at least
200 metres.

[ZBox note: There is a misleading
photograph of a bycycle with a petrol motor fitted on
the SA government web site. This has been included as
most bicycle motors available from other suppliers exceed
the 200W power limit. ZBox, however, have a 200W petrol
motor specifically designed to comply with Australian
motorised bicycle laws. Our 200W motors have been passed
by government approved Dyno test facilities. Every ZBox
200W motor is provided with a certificate of compliance
stating that the motor produces less than 200W. The cerificate
includes the serial number of the motor and has is signed
by an independant engineer who fitted our restrictor kit]

NORTHERN TERRITORY

We were
unable to find any legislation pertaining to motorised
pushbikes on the NT government web site. If you have information
about legislation in the NT please let us pkow and we
will add the information to our web page. We did find
some old information that is no longer available:

A power-assisted cycle is essentially
a complying bicycle that has been fitted with an engine
or motor of some description. Powered cycles are defined
in the NT Motor Vehicles Act as; A bicycle/tricycle that
is equipped:
a) with pedals as a means of propulsion; and
b) with an engine or motor which is capable of producing
a power output not exceeding 200 watts.
These bicycles are not required to be registered and can
be ridden on the road network and in public places. All
regulations relating to bicycles, including the requirement
to wear helmets, apply.

General
Information
The use of motorised scooters and power assisted cycles
on private property is not regulated.

The Road Transport (Vehicle Registration) Regulation 2000
describes vehicles that are exempt from registration provisions
in the ACT.

Motor assisted pedal cycles with electric or petrol engines
are exempt from registration, provided the maximum engine
output power does not exceed 200 watts. These vehicles
must have been designed as a bicycle - that is, to be
propelled by human power, with the motor attached as a
supplementary aid only.
Pedalecs are also exempt from registration. A Pedalec
is a vehicle meeting European Committee for Standardization
EN 15194:2009 Cycles – Electrically power assisted
cycles – EPAC Bicycles. They have a maximum of 250
watts continuous rated power, must be pedalled to gain
power assistance, have a maximum powered speed of 25km/h
and may have a 6km/h twist and go capability without pedalling,
to assist in getting off the line.

Riders must follow the same road rules as for pedal cycles
without motors, including wearing a helmet.

Motorised wheelchairs and other types of disabled persons’
conveyances are exempt from registration and operators
of these vehicles must comply with the same road rules
as pedestrians. This is providing: